Conficiens
by frozencinders
Summary: Chase receives the usual near-daily visit from Jack, accompanied by a gift this time.


"What do you want, Spicer?" The boy squeaked and flinched at the sound of Chase's voice behind him.

"Uh, you know, the usual... just to visit..." he croaked in that odd tone of voice he took whenever he was nervous, inflecting every other syllable as his voice cracked in much the same way Chase was sure his nerves did. This happened often, and every time, the boy was apparently satisfied just to visit for a short moment before being escorted out by the same black panther more often than not. The dragon overlord had, of course, never escorted Spicer to the door personally, as that might give the wrong impression. If there was one thing Chase hated, it was being misunderstood. That is, when he wasn't lying or purposefully misleading people, of course. He quickly shook those thoughts and teleported the boy and himself away from his warriors and to a chair so Chase could sit with his legs crossed and his hands folded in an effectively intimidating manner.

"No, Spicer. I already know you're simply here to visit. I ask," Chase paused for a split second not in hesitation, but almost in wonder, "what you seek to gain in the long run. What's the point of these visits?"

"I... I don't know, I mean... you kinda just let me in all the time, so I figured... I mean, you're my evil idol and all, so..." The boy's nervousness was starting to grate on Chase's nerves. If there was one thing he had, it was certainly time, but he would prefer not to waste another 1,500 years or so simply waiting for Jack to get a proper sentence out. He raised a brow as the pale boy sighed, looking away and taking his own arm in one hand in what the dragon interpreted as a shy, submissive gesture. It triggered something of his instincts, he wasn't sure what, but Chase easily fought against them, suppressing them as he always did when not hunting prey. No, this boy was not his prey, and Chase had the sneaking suspicion he never would be. He wasn't sure if it was that the goth simply wasn't worth killing, or that he often found himself almost admiring his odd appearance.

"I'm not suggesting I suspect you have some sort of ulterior motive that I would be foolish enough to _fear_," Chase clarified before the boy even had a chance to get confused, "I simply can't possibly understand why you would seek my presence when you know I'm not partnering with you for any schemes, taking you on as an apprentice, looking for 'pleasant conversation', none of that."

Chase, of course, didn't fail to notice the way Jack bristled slightly at one key point in his sentence. He suspected it was because the boy was disappointed at the reaffirmation that Chase wasn't interested in taking on an apprentice, especially one so inept, but he quickly realized Jack had tensed too soon for it to be that. No, Spicer had flinched before the word "apprentice" had even begun to be spoken, but certainly after he denied working with Jack as something of an equal. He wondered if the boy's reflexes were simply that slow, but he made a mental note to ponder his wording later, once he had some peace to himself.

"Yeah, I know all that," Jack said, apparently having had his nerves eased by something, and Chase quickly assumed the boy had decided on something that had been bothering him, "I guess I just like basking in your presence."

"And bask you may," Chase teased, "for the next three seconds before one of my warriors hauls you off."

"Three seconds isn't bad," the boy joked, a shy smile gracing his face as he moved his hand from his arm to the back of his head before moving both arms to his side instinctively as the goth flinched away from the panther Chase had been thinking about just prior. Chase was struck by something he found equally intriguing and disgusting, a feeling he knew to be familiar. It was the same feeling he had when the boy had quite literally fallen into his arms during what he was pretty sure was their first meeting. It seemed as if he'd known the boy for almost his entire life, having grown accustomed to his near-daily visits and those entrancing red eyes. Chase didn't have any problem admitting to himself that he found the boy attractive, but his ineptitude was certainly a deal-breaker for the dragon lord.

Sometimes, he would find himself marveling at the boy's inventions through his Eye Spy Orb, wondering how such a genius could be so... slow with every other subject. His preemptive gloating always led to his defeat, he was mediocre at best in battle, even when assisted by Shen Gong Wu... Chase halted that thought when he considered the fact that Jack was actually quite decent with the Monkey Staff. However, his point remained. Finally remembering that he had intended to think harder on what he had said, he attempted to pinpoint the time Spicer flinched and match it with his wording.

_"I'm not partnering with you for any schemes," _

Nothing.

_"taking you on as an apprentice,"_

He had tensed, but when..?

_"taking you"_

Ah. Chase almost laughed, settling for the smallest grin. It was now clear to him what the boy wanted, and he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Spicer had visited him in hopes of making some sort of confession to him, but his nerves always got in the way. The dragon lord couldn't understand why the boy thought confessing would make a difference, and perhaps Jack himself realized the notion was foolish as well, since he never actually said it. The evidence was certainly there, however, and Chase wondered if taking him on as an apprentice, or perhaps something else, would really be so bad. The goth has potential, that much is clear. He simply needs a patient, understanding, talented push in the right (or wrong) direction, and who better to teach the boy than his own "evil idol"?

"Uh, wait, Chase!" Jack yelled, running back with an impatient looking panther stalking after him. Chase assumed he'd pleaded for a few extra seconds with his idol.

"What is it, Spicer?" he asked, tone purposefully gentle, or as gentle as it could sound coming out of _his _mouth, in an experimental attempt to see if the boy would be urged to confess.

"I, uh... alright, I did have another reason for coming here. Well, not all those other times, but this time, definitely."

Chase tilted his head, suppressing a knowing smile as he waited patiently for the boy to speak again. He sighed and pulled something out of his coat, hiding it in his hand. This confused Chase. Could he possibly be asking for marriage? The boy couldn't be that stupid. Or perhaps Chase had misread the situation...

"I made this. For you." Jack held out a small machine, which Chase immediately assumed had to do with sensing Shen Gong Wu, similar to the one Jack himself kept.

"I have no need for it, whatever it is," he assured, tilting his head again when the boy persisted.

"I know it sounds stupid, but it actually makes a sound that's apparently really soothing for cats," he said, "and I thought maybe you could use it for your warriors..."

"'Apparently'? And what makes you so unsure?" Chase had to wonder, however, at what made him think of such an invention. He truly had an interesting, very possibly incomprehensible mind.

"Well, I only tested it on a stray cat I found outside, but I went in with the idea of soothing cats, so..."

"You specifically planned to make a machine like that? Might I ask why?" The shy look in Jack's eyes returned, and Chase felt his instincts trying to take over again, failing miserably as he had more self control than to give in to them so easily.

"Well, yeah. I wanted to make you something, but I was having something like art block... invention block, I don't know. It's the only thing I thought of."

With a snap of Chase's fingers, the panther stalked closer, obediently sitting in front of Jack, who had flinched again. He quickly took the hint and activated the machine. Even to Chase's superior hearing, the machine was very quiet, but the panther struggled not to purr as it lied down and flicked its tail just once before curling it beside its leg. Jack smiled, proud that his machine had the desired effect, and held it out to Chase once more.

"You still haven't told me what your ultimate goal with all of this is," the dragon lord reminded, taking the machine nonetheless. Jack looked away again, and Chase wondered if his assumptions _weren't_ wrong after all. The boy swallowed as he considered his next choice of words.

"I-I don't know," he admitted, or perhaps lied, "I just, uh... thought visiting you might give me some inspiration."

Now that, Chase mused, sounded true enough. It would make sense that the goth would attempt to draw some inspiration from one such as himself. However, that still wasn't what Chase wanted to hear. He wondered briefly why he cared so much, simply chalking it up to being in the mood for a stroke of his ego.

"Is inspiration all you seek to gain? Or do you wish to be on the _giving_ end, like just now?"

Predictably, Jack had bristled again, and Chase could swear he saw the faintest hint of a hard-fought away blush. The dragon overlord was torn between feeling satisfied by the reaction or being annoyed at the change in the boy's normal attitude. He wondered yet again why he cared.

"Maybe. I guess I could make you something else... is there anything you even want that your magic can't do?" he asked, his casual enough attitude returning as he brought a hand to his chin. Chase found it interesting to watch the boy think, and to see how much of a change it made in the entire atmosphere.

"Well, I wasn't aware I wanted this... contraption until you had already thought of it on your own. Your self proclamations of genius are not unfounded, Spicer," he said, and of course, didn't miss the way the boy gasped, "it's just your actions in battle that lead people to believe they are."

"That pretty much just means I'm creative, huh? But evil boy creationist doesn't have as nice of a ring to it..."

Chase would have laughed had he not been so worried (_why_..?) about keeping up appearances. Instead, he snapped his fingers again as he remembered to turn the machine off, waking the panther and causing the boy to jump yet again. Something about it bothered him, but he wasn't sure if it was annoyance, disappointment, or why he would be feeling either of those things. Jack _should_ be afraid of him, but he couldn't help but find himself pleased when the boy adopted a more casual attitude around him. The dragon lord would definitely have to think on that in particular.

"Come to me again when you get past your so called invention block. I'd very much like to see more creations like this," he encouraged, not sure why he had such an urge to see the hopeful look in Jack's eyes.

"Yeah, definitely! You don't have to escort me out, by the way," he squeaked, raising his hands defensively as the panther stood up, "I know where the door is."

The jungle cat looked up at its master, taking the nod and dismissive hand gesture as plenty reason to leave the goth alone. Chase turned the machine on again, soothing the panther back into slumber almost immediately as Spicer left. He sighed, activating the Eye Spy Orb and keeping its sight set firmly on Jack's lab, eager for the boy to return. Chase doubted he had ever been so confusingly interested in anyone in his life.


End file.
